Saturday, 18 May 2013

Ward & Yoakum Cemetery — View all Interments


Photo of Cemetery

Cemetery Statistics

11
Interments
5
Tombstone photos
1
Death Certificate transcriptions

Stone of Jermiah and Nancy WardAdam Stump Yoakum was born in Hardy County, WV 18 Mar 1814. Adam and his wife Martha Veal Ventioner (1821-1870) came to the Vineyard Grove/Allens Chapel area of Fannin County from Missouri in 1845 with Martha's family shortly after most of the hostilities with the Indians had ended. They were among the first settlers of this area.

Adam purchased property including a two-room cabin from his father-in-law in 1850 and helped build the Vineyard Grove Baptist Church completed in 1853. An Historical Marker at the site of the former church commemorates his contribution to the church and community. Adam served as a Captain in the Confederate army. After Martha's death, he married Elizabeth Gilbert Witcher, widow of William Witcher.

Adam died 4 Mar 1889 and was interred here at Ward Cemetery. About 1984, during his writing of The Yoakum Book author, Everett M. Yoakum, had the headstones of Adam Stump Yoakum and Martha Ventioner Yoakum moved from the Ward cemetery to the Vineyard Grove Cemetery in order to preserve the stones and make them more accessible to visitors. The remains were not removed but remain here at Ward Cemetery.

On our visit to the cemetery in the Spring of 2008, we found that another descendant had visited the cemetery and placed a hand carved marker on the grave of Martha Ventioner Yoakum. It was rumored (and likely) that this unnamed descendant had also carved and delivered a stone to mark the grave of Adam Stump Yoakum. We did not find a similar marker for Adam. Martha's new stone is shown above.

Adam's home was located a short distance East of the cemetery. The Quantrell gang as well as Jesse James visited Adam's home. Jesse carved the initials J.P.M. in the mantle in 1868. The home continued to stand until a fire destroyed it in the 1970s. The footstone containing the initials NEY are likely for Nancy Elizabeth Yoakum 1844-1848. The initials AY are possibly for an infant son Adam Yoakum. The initials SY are possibly for an infant daughter but the name is not known at the present time.

William A. Allen & Mary Polly Ward Allen are thought to be buried in this cemetery.
If you have more information or confirmation on their burial location please contact us.

You can read more on this family in the Fannin County Folks and Facts

Cemetery Links


Latitude: 33° 38′ 28.98″ N
  33.641383
Longitude:  95° 58′ 43.80″ W
 -95.978833
  

To find the cemetery, travel 1.2 miles west on county road 2980 off of 1396. We were able to turn off of 2980 onto a narrow dirt road which does not appear on the map but which ran roughly parralell to the west fenceline of the cleared field shown on this map. You will intercept a field bounded by a barbed wire fence supported by wooden posts. The fence runs east and west. You will need to cross over this fence into the field.

If you switch to the satellite view of the map, you can see that this field is shaped somewhat like a sock or boot. You are entering the field at the top/back of the boot. You'll need to make your way to "the big toe". From this point hike back due north into the woods until you reach the remains of an old fence running East/West. If you do not readily see tombstones nearby, head East along this fence line until you do. This will be the Ward Cemetery.(The Bain Cemetery is about 150 feet slightly north and east of the largest Ward Monument.)




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